Strand marking apparatus



Sept. 30, 1947. c, KRQGEL 2,428,284

STRAND MARKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 18, 1943 unmEnnuEnunE IIII "IE IIIII m-- )as wvavme C. J. KEOGEL By R'T'wllaM ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 30, 1947 STRAND MARKING APPARATUS Christopher J. Krogel, Crani'ord, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 18, 1943, Serial No. 499,045

Claims. 1

This invention relates to strand marking apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for marking insulated wire provided with an absorbent, fibrous sheath.

In multi-conductor cable comprising a plurality of individually insulated conductor wires, it is often desirable to have the insulation of the wires marked to distinguish one wire from another by inspection of a short length at one end. Wires which have an insulating sheath or layer of absorbent material can be marked for identification b applying ink, dye or the like to the absorbent layer during manufacture to create therein a distinctive pattern of recurrent cycles of successive short colored and uncolored or variously colored sections.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide a simple, durable and reliable device or apparatus for marking a longitudinally advancing strand with a predeterminedly arranged cyclically repeated pattern of differently colored portions in longitudinal sequence.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be embodied in an apparatus through which a longitudinally advancing strand may pass to be marked, the apparatus comprising one or more successively arranged jets of liquid coloring material in alignment along the path of the strand, and means to cause the jets to swing with regular oscillating motion across the advancing strand.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures and in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective with parts broken away of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of a length of wire as marked in one pattern by the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showin another pattern; and

Fig; 4 is a similar view showing a third pattern.

In Fig. 1 there is disclosed a strand I9 travelling longitudinally from some conventional supply 20 to some conventional advancing means or takeup 2|, over guide sheaves 22 and 23. At some convenient point in its path the strand I9 passes under the mid position of one or more (here four) nozzles 24, I24, 224 and 324, aligned along the path of the strand and reciprocable transversely of the strand by being mounted in a common support 25 carried on a pendulum member 26 which is swung to and fro in a small are by a cam roller 21 acting against a tension sprin 28. Each nozzle is connected by a flexible pipe 29, I29, 229 or 329 respectively, to a reservoir 30, I30, 230 or 330 respectively; lying at a higher level. Below each nozzle is an individual catch basin tank 3I', I3I, 23I or 33l respectively. A pump 32 has its intake connected to the tank 3| and its output connected to the tank 30, to circulate excess liquid discharged by the nozzle 24 and caught in the tank 3| back to the tank 30 and so through the nozzle 24 again. Similar pumps (not shown in the drawing) are provided to circulate liquid through each of the other nozzles in similar fashion.

The nozzles will ordinarily be so dimensioned as to emit a slender, uninterrupted jet of liquid. The cam 21 is so proportioned that the jet from any nozzle intersects the strand I9 only at the mid point of the excursion to and fro of the nozzle, i. e. twice during each revolution of the cam.

Assume now that the tanks 30 and 3| contain a red coloring liquid, the tanks I30 and I3I contain a blue coloring liquid, and the other tanks are dry. Let the strand I9 be a wire I8 (Fig, 2) having a white or light gray absorbent sheath Il thereon, e, g. seamless paper pulp or served cotton thread or thelike. Then if the relative longitudinal speed of the wire and rotary speed of the cam be properly adjusted so that the jet from the nozzle I24 strikes and colors the portion 33 of the sheath red while, at the same time, the jet from the nozzle 24 is striking and coloring the segment 34 of the sheath blue, the product may be that indicated in the right hand part of Fig. 2, Here the entire sheath is colored in abutting segments of red and blue. By an alteration of the speed of the member 25 and the spacing of the nozzles therein, the arrangement described may be made to produce the product shown in Fig. 3, where alternate red and blue segments 33 and 34 are separated by uncolored segments 35. If only the nozzle 24 be used and the speed of the strand be considerably increased, the product shown in Fig. 4 is obtained where short blue segments 34 alternate with long uncolored segments I35,

By varying the relative speeds, for example, by means of speed control devices l5 and I6, by increasin or decreasing the number of nozzles in action and the colors of their jets, and by altering the relative spacing of the jets, e. g. by inserting the nozzles into variously selected ones of a row of bores 36 in the member 25, the patterning of the product may be almost indefinitely varied.

Although the particular apparatus described employs a liquid such as ink or a solution of a dye cyclically repeated pattern of difierently colored portions in longitudinal sequence, the said apparatus comprising a. support adjacentto and reciprocable transversely of the path of a longitudinally advancing strand, a plurality of nozzles aligned in the support along the said path and directed to throw each a jet of liquid across the path, an individual tank to supply an individual coloring liquid to each nozzle, an individual tank disposed to receive all the liquid from each jetnot deposited on the strand and means to reciprocate the support sufliciently widely to carry jets from the nozzles to sweep to and fro across the said path and beyond the same on either side thereof suiliciently widely to cause-the jets to impinge upon the strand on spaced portions thereof only.

2. Apparatus to mark a longitudinally advancing strand with a predeterminedly arranged and cyclically repeated pattern of differently colored portions in longitudinal sequence, the said apparatus comprising a support adjacent to and reciprocable transversely of the path-of a longitudinally advancing strand, a plurality of nozzles aligned in the support along the said path and directed to throw each a jet of liquid across the path, means to vary the interspacing of the nozzles in the support, individual means to supply an individual coloring liquid to each nozzle, and means to reciprocate the support suillciently widely to carry jets from the nozzle to sweep to and fro across the said path and beyond the same on either side thereof sufficiently widely to cause the jets to impinge upon the strand on spaced portions thereof only.

3. Apparatus to mark a longitudinally advancing strand with a predeterminedly arranged and cyclically repeated pattern of. diilerently colored portions in longitudinal sequence, the said apparatus comprising a support adjacent to and reciprocable transversely of the path of a longitudinally advancing strand, a plurality of nozzles aligned in the support along the said path and directed to throw each a, jet of liquid across the path, an individual tank to supply an individual coloring liquid to each nozzle, an individual tank disposed to receive all the liquid from each jet not deposited on the strand, individual means to return liquid from each receiving tank to its corresponding supply tank, and means to reciprocate the support at a selected speed and sufficiently, widely to carry jets from the nozzles to sweep to and fro across the said path and beyond the same on either side thereof sufllciently widely to cause the jets to impinge upon the strand on spaced portions thereof only.

. and fro across the said path and beyond the same 4. Apparatus to mark a longitudinally advancing strand with a predeterminedly arranged .and cyclically repeated pattern of differently colored portions in longitudinal sequence, the said apparatus comprising a support adjacent to and reciprocable transversely of the path of a longitudinally advancing strand, a plurality of nozzles aligned in the support along the said path and directed to throw each a jet of liquid across the path, meansto vary the interspacing of the n0zzles/in the support, an individual tank to supply an individual coloring liquid to each nozzle, an individual tank disposed to receive all theliquid from each jet not deposited on the strand, and means to reciprocate the support sufllciently widely to carry jets from the nozzles to sweep to on either side thereof sutliciently widely to cause the jets to impinge upon the strand on spaced portions thereof only.

ing strand with a predeterminedly arranged and cyclically repeated patternof diiferently colored portions in longitudinal sequence, the said apparatus comprising a, support adjacent to and reciprocable transversely of the path of a longitudinally advancing strand, a plurality of nozzles aligned in the support along the said path and directed to throw each a jet of liquid across the path, means to vary the interspacing of the nozzles in the support, an individual tank to supply an individual coloring liquid to each nozzle, an individual tank disposed to receive all the liquid from each jet not deposited on the strand, individual means to return liquid from each receiving tank to its corresponding supply tank, and means to reciprocate the support suiilciently widely to carry jets from the nozzles to sweep to and fro across the said path and beyond the same on either side thereof sufliciently widely to cause the jets to impinge upon the strand on spaced portions thereof only.

CHRISTOPHER J. mOGEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,263,009 Williams Apr. 16, 1918 2,128,302 Katz Aug. 30, 1938 2,194,941 Hinsky Mar, 26, 1940 338,096 Meikle Mar. 6, 1886 1,868,804 Purinton July 26, 1932' 1,944,822 Church et a1 Jan. 23, 1934 2,218,811 Chaussabel Oct. 22, 1940 1,726,055 Campbell Aug. 27, 1939 2,111,761 Eckert Mar. 22, 1938 1,956,220 Johnson Apr. 24, 1934 2,274,432 Repsher Febl 24, 1942 

